Jack London
Jack London was an American novelist, journalist, short story author, and social activist. Unlike many writers, his real-life experiences were just as wildly adventurous as his stories. Connections As a child in Oakland, California, London often went to the Oakland Public Library, where he spent hours reading. He befriended one of the librarians there, Ina Coolbrith, in 1886. She would later go on to become California's first poet laureate. London met George Sterling around 1902, and they soon became the best of friends. Sterling helped London find and purchase a house so that they could be neighbors, and the two men had unique nicknames for each other - London called Sterling "Greek," and Sterling referred to London as "Wolf." Sterling also helped London to be elected into the exclusive Bohemian Grove club in 1904. Through his marriage to his first wife, London was the the cousin-in-law of actresses Minnie Maddern Fisk and Emily Stevens. London was an acquaintance of William Randolph Hearst, and worked as a reporter under him during a stint covering the Russo-Japanese War for Hearst's newspaper, the San Francisco Examiner. When London was arrested for the third time in four months while in Japan as a reporter, in 1904, Theodore Roosevelt himself personally intervened for London's release. London became a member of the exclusive Bohemian Grove club in 1904, and was an active member for the next decade. Other members at the time, that he came to know, include Ambrose Bierce, Gelett Burgess, John Muir, and Frank Norris. An avid boxing fan, London attended the Johnson-Jeffries match in 1910. At the time, the match was built up into a supercharged media event due to the fact that James J. Jeffries, a blonde-haired white man, was matched against Jack Johnson, an African-American who was the son of former slaves. The match flared racial tensions, with the newspapers calling Jeffries the "Great White Hope." London, however, took a colorblind approach to the match, and regarded Johnson to be the better fighter. Johnson famously won the fight, with London cheering him on. While visiting Hawaii in 1915, London met swimmer Duke Kahanamoku, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole, and Queen Liliuokalani. Places San Francisco, California, USA - Born here, 1876. Grew up here, 1876 - around 1886. Oakland, California, USA - Grew up here, lived here, 1886 - 1905. Tokyo, Japan - Visited here, 1893. Buffalo, New York, USA - Spent a month in jail here, 1894. Berkeley, California, USA - Attended university here, 1896 - 1897. Dawson City, Canada - Lived here, 1897 - 1898. Yokohama, Japan - Traveled here, 1904. Shimonoseki, Japan - Traveled here, was arrested here, 1904. Seoul, South Korea - Traveled here, 1904. Sinuiju, North Korea - Traveled here, 1904. Monte Rio, California, USA - Was often here, 1904 onward. Chicago, Illinois, USA - Got married here, 1905. Kingston, Jamaica - Honeymooned here, 1906. Papeete, Polynesia - Traveled here, 1907. Sydney, Australia - Traveled here, 1907 - 1908. Honolulu, Hawaii, USA - Was often here, 1907 - 1916. Glen Ellen, California, USA - Lived here, 1905 - 1916. Died here, 1916. Reno, Nevada, USA - Attended boxing match here, 1910. Wolf Creek, Oregon, USA - Often here, 1911 - 1914. Portland, Oregon, USA - Visited here, around 1912. Baltimore, Maryland, USA - Visited here, 1912. Seattle, Washington, USA - Visited here, 1912. Veracruz, Mexico - Visited here, 1914. Sacramento, California, USA - Visited here, 1914. Hilo, Hawaii, USA - Visited here, 1915. Category:People Category:Historical Figures Category:Writers Category:1876 Births Category:1916 Deaths Category:People From the United States Category:Jack